2025 Pastoral Encyclical for Christmas (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Pastoral Encyclical

Sacred Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christmas 2025

Beloved children in the Lord, Christ is born,

The feast of Christmas is celebrated within the atmosphere of the Church and in the Divine Liturgy, with the festal hymns and the divine Communion of the Body of Christ. Any other festive expression that is cut off from this atmosphere cannot help our spiritual concerns. The feast, as it is celebrated by the Orthodox Church, is a manifestation of God who became man in order to raise up “the image that had fallen,” and it is a manifestation of divine Grace for the salvation of man.

“Theophany” and “Epiphany” are two words that express the meaning of the feast. The word Theophany comes from the passage of the Apostle Paul: “God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16), and the word Epiphany comes from another passage of the Apostle Paul: “The saving grace of God has appeared to all men…” (Titus 2:11). With these two words are characterized the Birth of the Son and Word of God as man and the Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan.

Homily Three on the Nativity of Christ (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three on the Nativity of Christ 

By St. John of Kronstadt

“For this reason God came down to earth, 
that He might raise us up to heaven.”
(Akathist to the Theotokos, Kontakion 8)

In these words of a church hymn the purpose is indicated for which God the Word came to earth in the flesh: namely, that He might once again raise to heaven man, who was created for heaven and who fell and was slain by sin, enslaved by earthly passions — on the just condition that man, having realized his extreme delusion and the ruinous nature of the path he chose, should turn with all his heart to God from whom he fell away, repent with all his heart, renounce worldly attachments, love God, and live on earth in a heavenly manner, insofar as this is possible with the help of divine grace. Such is the purpose of the coming of God to earth in the flesh which we celebrate today. He came to turn away from us the utmost dishonor of sin and passions, by which we enslaved ourselves of our own will; to deliver us from destructive bondage to the devil, from the righteous curse and eternal death; to regenerate us by the grace of Baptism, to adopt us as sons, and to grant us the Holy Spirit, by whose help we might live on earth in a manner worthy of our high calling as children of God.

The Nativity of Christ: Homily 2: On the Divine Services of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ (Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko)

1. The Feasts of the Lord

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko 

I. The Nativity of Christ

Homily No. 2. On the Divine Services of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ

I. The solemn ringing of bells today, earlier than usual, awakens you, Christian, and calls you to the house of God for the morning doxology. Do not be lazy to rise and go there together with your family. The event which we solemnly commemorate today occurred very early — in the deep stillness of the night; our Lord was born at the time when the Bethlehem shepherds were keeping watch over their flock by night (Luke 2:8). The shepherds were deemed worthy to hear the angelic glad tidings and the heavenly doxology: go, you too, to the flock of Christ, and from the lips of the Church you will hear the same glad tidings and the same doxology. Immediately before Matins the Great Compline is read today. This bears witness that our ancient brethren and fathers, on this Great Feast, continued their prayers and chants throughout the whole night. Compline is usually joined with Vespers, but in ancient times, on this feast, Vespers and Compline were so prolonged that Compline merged into Matins, and all three services together constituted, in the proper sense, an All-Night Vigil.

Prologue in Sermons: December 25

For Those Entering Military Service

December 25
 
(Our Venerable Father Nicholas the Monk, a Former Soldier)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

When, brethren, the time comes for military recruitment, the majority of those preparing to enlist usually spend their time in an extremely indecent manner. Drunkenness, singing, fighting, and all manner of disorder are seen and heard everywhere. This debauchery has always been so widespread that it has even become proverbial. "He reveleth like a recruit," is commonly said of a man who has fallen into the depths of evil. Brethren, you who are going to serve your Tsar and your Fatherland! Is this how you should act? Is this not a holy and divine work? Truly so. And where the work of God is, is there room for debauchery, filth, and demonic worship? No, brethren, we must conduct ourselves there with all reverence and the fear of God; for it is said, "Cursed is everyone who does the work of God carelessly" (Jer. 48:10). Remember, too, that by joining the military, you are putting your very life on the line; if not today, then tomorrow you could be sent against the enemy, and your life will hang by a thread. And if so, do you really think that God will be your protector when, as now, you offend His Majesty with your unjust behavior? No, brothers, if you wish to survive the war and return safe and sound, then conduct yourself chastely, overcome your impure passions, and have the fear of God in your hearts. Otherwise, do not expect God's mercy.

December: Day 25: Teaching 3: The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

December: Day 25: Teaching 3:
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
 
(On the day of the Nativity of Christ, Christians should bring gifts to their Savior following the example of the Eastern sages: instead of gold - faith, instead of frankincense - gratitude and praise to God, and instead of myrrh - a willingness to do good to people.)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today we celebrate the Nativity of the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. For 5,508 years, people awaited this event. All these millennia, the Lord prepared the world for the Savior's birth. By the end of these millennia, one might say the entire universe, both on the basis of divine revelations and due to the awareness of spiritual weaknesses, awaited the heavenly Redeemer. The Nativity of Christ the Savior occurred as follows. Before His coming, the Jews were under Roman rule. The Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, ordered a nationwide census, and every Roman subject was required to register in his hometown. Joseph and his betrothed, the Holy Virgin Mary, were from Bethlehem but lived in Nazareth, so they set out from Nazareth for Bethlehem. Unable to find room at an inn, they stopped to spend the night in a cave outside the city. Here the Lord was born and, wrapped in swaddling clothes, was laid in a manger. The shepherds of Bethlehem were the first to learn of the Savior's birth. An angel appeared to them and told them that Christ the Lord had been born. They were also privileged to see angels praising God and crying out, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those whom He is pleased." They were the first to worship the newborn Savior when they arrived at the cave. After them, the Magi (wise men) of the East learned of the Savior's birth and came to worship Him. They brought gifts to the newborn Christ: gold, as to a king; frankincense, or precious incense, as to God; and myrrh (an aromatic ointment), as to one about to die.

The Nativity of Christ: Homily 1: On the Divine Services on the Eve of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ (Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko)

1. The Feasts of the Lord

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko 

I. The Nativity of Christ

Homily No. 1. On the Divine Services on the Eve of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ

I. As the feast of the Nativity of Christ draws nearer, the beloved names of the Virgin Mary and Joseph are heard ever more frequently in the Church’s hymns; ever more often the Church transports our remembrance to the sacred cave of Bethlehem, points us to the star of the Magi, and calls us to worship the God-Child, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

II. a) Five days before the feast its forefeast begins. The services from the Octoechos are set aside, and in their place stichera and canons of the forefeast are sung. “The Sun that never sets is coming to shine forth from the virginal cloud and to illumine the whole world,” sings the Church. “Let us hasten to meet Him with pure eyes and pure deeds… God the Word, borne on the cherubic shoulders, having clothed Himself in flesh, comes to be born of the tribe of Judah. Prepare youself, O Bethlehem! Open, O gates of Eden! Adorn yourself, O house of David—Ephratha! Behold, the Tree of Life has blossomed in the cave from the Virgin; her womb has appeared to us as a noetic paradise. By partaking of its fruit we shall not die as did Adam, but shall live: Christ is born to restore the fallen image!… Rejoice, prophets; exult, patriarchs; Christ is born, the King of heaven comes to the earth.”

Holy Venerable Martyr Eugenia in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Eugenia was noble not only by birth, but noble in character as well. This innate nobility of hers is emphasized first of all, among other things, by her Hymnographer, Saint Theophanes, who, however, connects it with her longing and love for Christ, so that her nobility might remain firm and whole. “Having fled the transient glory of the world, you longed for Christ, preserving the nobility of your soul unblemished, O divinely-minded martyr, all-praised Eugenia.” And again: not only did this nobility remain firm, but it advanced to its exalted state: “Having heard the divine hymnody, O Bride of Christ, you were given wings toward lofty nobility.”

With simple and clear words, the Hymnographer expresses in these troparia one of the greatest truths: faith in and love for Christ, turning toward Him, leads a person to true nobility — that is, to live with spiritual health. Conversely, when a person turns passionately toward the world, seeking worldly glory, the soul is wounded, its beauty is lost, and the person becomes distorted. The reason for this, of course, is that relationship with God — the true God in Christ — constitutes the proper, natural state of the human being. Man was created by God to live with God and to be directed toward Him. “For from him and through him and for him are all things,” as the Apostle Paul also notes. Thus the noble Saint Eugenia is presented first of all as a type of the true and natural human person.

Holy Hieromartyr Sergius Mechev (+ 1942)

St. Sergius Mechev (Feast Day - December 24)

He was born in Moscow on September 17, 1892, into the family of the Righteous Alexei Mechev, rector of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Kleniki on Maroseyka Street. Father Alexei dearly loved his son Sergius and wished to have him as his successor, but he did not want to pressure him and therefore allowed his son to receive a secular education. In 1910 Sergius graduated from the gymnasium with a silver medal and entered the medical faculty of Moscow University. Soon he transferred to the Department of Philology of the Faculty of History and Philology, which he completed in 1917.

During the war in 1914, Sergius Alexeyevich worked on the Western Front as a medical orderly on one of the hospital trains. There he also met his future wife, who likewise served as a nurse of mercy.

At the same time as his university studies, Sergius Alexeyevich took part in the work of the student theological circle named after Saint John Chrysostom, organized by the abbot of the Chudov Monastery, Bishop Arsenius (Zhadanovsky). At the meetings of the circle, reports on various theological topics were read and discussed.

How To Properly Spend Christmas Eve

By Archpriest Dionisy Svechnikov

Christmas Eve, or Nativity Eve – is the final and special day of the Nativity Fast. The uniqueness of Christmas Eve is evident in both the Lenten tradition and the liturgical tradition.

What service is held on Christmas Eve?

Liturgical features of Christmas Eve, unless it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, include the reading of the Royal Hours, the eight paremias at Vespers, and the combination of Vespers and the Liturgy. The Royal Hours are celebrated three times a year: on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and the Theophany or Day of Lights, and on Great Friday. They are called "Royal" because in ancient Byzantium they were usually celebrated in the presence of the Emperor and concluded with the proclamation of many years for the Emperor (and the Patriarch). The Royal Hours, while maintaining the structure of the usual reading of the Hours, have a unique feature: they are supplemented by stichera, paremias, prokeimenons, and the reading of the Apostolic Epistles and the Gospel. Following the reading of the Hours and the Odes, Vespers begins. In modern practice, Vespers is celebrated not in the evening or in the afternoon, but in the morning, combining with the Liturgy [called a Vesperal Liturgy]. At Vespers, eight prophecies (instead of the usual three) are read, revealing the essence of the feast of the Nativity. There is also the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. After the Liturgy, a glorification is performed in the center of the church, before the icon of the Nativity of Christ — the troparion and kontakion, special solemn hymns dedicated to the feast, are sung.